In 2026, the Centraal Museum presents the first major retrospective of Gerard van Honthorst (1592–1656). This Utrecht painter, a contemporary of Rembrandt van Rijn, left for Rome at a young age where he was inspired by the art of Caravaggio, who large,...
Have you read the previous blog about the history of the Open Monument Days? It is scheduled for the weekend of September 13 and 14, 2025, but not all municipalities (and therefore not all buildings) are open for two days. Some organize 1 day...
The International Literature Festival Utrecht (ILFU) will be held from 23 September to 7 October 2023 in Utrecht, under the motto 'What's the story?'. The theme refers to the multitude of stories that can be told about any subject. During the...
On Wednesday, March 15, 2023, you can go to the polls for the Provincial Council elections. While you are indirectly voting for the composition of the Senate, ultimately it is about policy in your own province. What are...
It is cold outside with occasional rain and a lot of cold wind. We are still recovering from the December holidays and the food. New Year's resolutions are being made in the new year and specifically the month...
Inspiration, making preparations, 'feel the vibe' of the locals, enjoying culinary cuisines from all over the world. In short, visit the Vakantiebeurs from January 12 to 15, 2023, at Jaarbeurs, Utrecht. Due to the coronavirus crisis, the Vakantiebeurs in 2021...
Exactly five hundred years ago, on January 9, 1522, Adrian VI was elected Pope. Less than two years later, on September 14, 1523, he died. He was the last non-Italian Pope until the election of the Pole Karol Józef Wojtyla...
On June 2, 1122, it was 900 years since Utrecht was granted city rights. The celebratory program was created and executed by the residents themselves starting June 2, 2022. Utrechters have organized activities centered on the Utrecht of today, the past, and the...
The 36th edition of the VriendenLoterij Open Monument Day (OMD) takes place on the weekend of 10 and 11 September 2022, with the theme 'Sustainability lasts longest'. During the VriendenLoterij Open Monument Day, thousands of monuments throughout the Netherlands open their doors for free...
What are the similarities between the 2022 Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, and Vuelta? The three major cycling tours of Europe start abroad. The Giro from Hungary, the Tour de France from Denmark, and the Vuelta from the Netherlands....
Saint Martin is the patron saint of Utrecht. He shared his cloak with a beggar, and the diagonally cut red and white can be seen everywhere in the municipality, for example in the city flag, the municipal coat of arms, and the shirts of FC Utrecht....
Following last week's introduction, in this episode I will devote slightly more detailed attention to stamps 1 through 4 and 6 of the new stamp sheet. At the end of the description of these five stamps, some additional information...
Inspired by a series of articles by hK. Kouwenberg, published in the monthly magazine Philatelie in the late seventies, Rob Smit describes the history of stamp collecting anew in biweekly installments. This is part 18, The Netherlands in 1862. In this series we have already...
In 1954, Amsterdam was the first non-French starting point for the Tour de France. In 1973, Scheveningen was the starting point for the Tour. Leiden followed in 1978, and in 1996 it was 's-Hertogenbosch. Rotterdam had in...
When it gets dark earlier in the evening, the children start to get a bit nervous and shopkeepers spontaneously start advertising in rhyme. Saint Nicholas is the cause of this. But what is the story with the good holy man, really? What do we know...
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